Improvement in alarm-batons



N y .iivrrnn 'rnrns struction of a pneumatic alarm or signal,

maar

JOHN F. HASKINS, F FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

" IMPROVEMENT IN ALARM-BATONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,464, dated May 30, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN r. Hisxms, ,of4

Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and Sta-te of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Pneumatic Alarm or Signal; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this speciticatiomis a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilledin the art to practice it.

United States Letters Patent No. 110,036, dated December 13, 1870, were granted to me for an improved pneumatic alarm or signal, my invention described in said patent consist- `in g in combining an air-reservoir, an air-pump `located within said reservoir, a vibrator-or whistle, and means for controlling the passage betweenthe vibrator and the reservoir.

My present invention also relates to the rnhe object of my invention being to make a 1n re sim ple apparatus or alarm for hand use, or an instrument which, in connection with the handflag of a railway flag-man or the clubof apoliceman, occupies no additional room, or does `not increase the bulk nor materially increase the weight of such implements. To effect this I dispense entirely with the air-stowin g reser- 7 voir shown in my aforesaid patent, and use for the alarm `mechanism only an air-compressin g 1 pump (consisting of a tube, a piston, and a `piston rod or handle) and a whistle orvibrator.

'Ihe invention consists in an alarm or signal mechanism'composed of an air. tube and Vpiston, and on the air inlet or outlet end of the ytube a whistle or vibrator, which, by forcibly driving out the air (drawn into the tube by the retreat of the pistonyby forcing the piston forward, emits or produces a sharp `and loud sound. 1

lhe drawing represents in section a pneumatic alarm embodying the invention.

a denotes a'metaltube or pump-cylinder; b, a piston fitting andbplaying in said tube; c, a piston-rod, preferably made-of wood, and tting but sliding easily through the cap d; e, a handle on the end of said rod. Near the llower and air-inlet end of the tube is a cross-piece, or partition, or seat, f, havingperforations g and a nut-threaded central hole, h, into which is fastened the screw-threaded end of a spinldle, t', of a whistle, k, preferably formed like,

or not unlike, a common steam-whistle.

As the piston is drawn back air passes freely into the cylinder around the edge of the disk or flange l, and as the piston is driven' forward the air is forced out through the same opening.. and against the edge of cup m., producing the alarm-whistle.

It will thus be seen that no air has to be stored 5 that the current of air urged by lthe piston, and not the mere elasticity of compressed air, is used to produce the alarm; that no valvular arrangement is required either in the tube or in the-piston; that no cock is necessary; and that no mechanism is required other than the tplain whistle, (the parts of which, in operating, have no relative movements,) the pump-cylinder, and the piston. y

Hence the alarm is not only simple, inexpensive, and free from liability to get out of repair, but the whole construction is contained within a diameter not materially larger than the pump-cylinder, or within a diameter not exceeding that of the policemans club or the dag-mans staff.

The alarm is best operated by short, quick reciprocations of the piston, and by a system ,ofprearra'n ged signals (the meaning of respective signals depending upon the number of' whistles given, or upon number and intervals) the instrument can be made very useful upon railways, by watchmen and night police, and

and in other positions where it is often necessary or desirable to give alarms.

l claim- 1. A pneumatic alarm or signal, consisting of a pump-cylinder, a piston, and a whistle or sonoric vibrator, constructed, combined, and relatively arranged, substantially as shown and described.

2. The air-pump, having an orifice through which the air is both admitted and ejected without any valve or valvular mechanism, and

having a sonoric vibrator in combination with such pump. y JOHN F.HASKINS. Witnesses:

u If. L. HILLS,

FRANCIS GoULD.

rrr-cn. 

